


Cosplay

by 100indecisions



Series: Fandom non-fiction [3]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Monster Factory - Polygon (Web Series), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Cosplay, F/M, Fandom Non-Fiction, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-03-28 08:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13900200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100indecisions/pseuds/100indecisions
Summary: I'm a mildly obsessive completionist who really likes to organize all fandom stuff in one place even though AO3 isn't ideal for anything image-based, and I just did some cosplay for the first time in several years that I want to share, so: I'm posting it all here. I'm starting with the recent ones that are actually kind of good and then eventually going backward for much older stuff, because see above re: mildly obsessive completionist.





	1. 2018 Emerald City Comic Con: Age of Ultron Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff

I'm kind of a lazy cosplayer in that I tend to make choices based on what I can reasonably put together out of real clothes from thrift stores and my closet, rather than ever wanting to sew or special-order something; in the same way, I don't particularly want to dye my hair, wear a wig, use contacts, or put on a lot of makeup. So I was pretty happy to realize that Wanda from _Avengers: Age of Ultron_ would be perfect--I love the character, I already had an appropriate black dress, and I figured the other pieces would be pretty easy to find. To be perfectly honest, realizing Wanda would be an easy cosplay was part of the reason I finally decided to go to Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle earlier this month (well, also because it's the closest major comics/pop culture convention to me, and I hadn't been to one in years, and I had enough miles to make the one short flight really cheap, and [Lise](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise) was going and I wanted to meet her...but the cosplay thing was definitely a factor).

The final result:

If anyone is curious, I already owned all the jewelry (which was basically just approximations of Wanda's rather than anything that matched exactly), and I got the jacket and boots from local thrift stores. The boots were originally taller, and I cut them down following [this tutorial](https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/knee-high-boots-into-ankle-high-boots), which was more complicated than I hoped it would be but eventually worked out okay. This was also the first time in  _years_ that I'd worn nail polish (honestly I think I've painted my nails like...once or twice in my entire life before this?) and I kept getting vaguely startled every time I glanced at my hands, haha. 

    

Also, I ran into another cosplayer doing Civil War Wanda, and we were both really excited about each other. :D


	2. 2018 ECCC: female Avengers Academy Loki

For reasons that are probably obvious to anyone who is even slightly familiar with my fandom preferences, I really wanted to cosplay some version of Loki when I decided I was going to ECCC; for the same reasons I mentioned in the previous chapter, I wanted to do something using normal clothes rather than buying a nice costume (too expensive) or trying to make one from scratch (where would I even start). When I went to SDCC in 2012, I tried to do a version of Loki's Avengers costume that didn't work _super_ great, so I didn't really want to do that again but I wasn't sure what else to try. One solution, which took an embarrassingly long time to occur to me, was to cosplay [the version of Loki from the mobile game Avengers Academy](http://avengers-academy.wikia.com/wiki/Loki), because in that game, all the characters' default uniforms are basically normal clothes inspired by their comics and/or movie costumes. Loki also has a female form in the game with a really cool but complex costume that I didn't want to try to duplicate, so I figured I'd just put a skirt on the default uniform and call it good. (This ended up being a good call, because crowded convention halls are invariably _really hot_ , and it didn't take me long to start regretting the fur collar.)

So here's Avengers Academy Loki in all her disdainful glory, complete with staff (a cheap two-piece pool cue from Walmart, cut down and repainted, because that was the only good way to make any staff fit in a suitcase). Basically nobody recognized this one for what it really was, but I’m still happy with how it came out. (Also, of course I had to get a picture with the giant Hulk Pop at the Funko booth.)

   

  

Additional bits I don't think I can embed: [Loki makes a friend](http://thelightofthingshopedfor.tumblr.com/post/171508296042/loki-made-a-friend-marvelmopop), and [you can't really say you've cosplayed Avengers Academy Loki unless you do some dancing](http://thelightofthingshopedfor.tumblr.com/post/171571031777/you-cant-really-say-youve-cosplayed-avengers).

The best part of this one was that I found literally every piece of clothing for this at a thrift store, except the skirt, which I already owned. I replaced the jacket's original buttons with gold ones, and added wide gold ribbon and more gold buttons to the shoulders for the weird epaulet things Loki has. The fur collar is just fake fur from a craft store that I glued to the jacket literally the night before, because I managed to run out of time before leaving and had to pack superglue and a glue gun in my suitcase. The earrings were a happy accident at a St. Patrick's Day display that looked too much like Loki's Agent of Asgard outfit to resist, and the necklace is there because I figured...people would recognize that and get the general idea even if they didn't recognize this specific version of Loki, which did turn out to be the case. 


	3. 2018 Arctic Comic Con: MCU black suit Loki (Thor: Ragnarok)

I live in Alaska and as you might imagine, there's...not exactly an overabundance of conventions here. ECCC is the closest big one and even that's a three-hour flight away. At home, there's mostly Senshi Con, which is apparently a decent size now (I'm planning to go this year but I actually haven't in years because I went a few times almost a decade ago when it was a new tiny thing being held at my university and I wasn't impressed, and after that I just sort of...forgot to check back because it didn't occur to me that it might have grown?) but is specifically focused on anime and gaming rather than more general pop culture. This year we also got a new one: Arctic Comic Con, advertised as Alaska's biggest comics/pop-culture convention, which...is technically true despite it being brand new because the category is otherwise empty but also kiiiiiiind of disingenuous, and they definitely charged too much for what ended up being a pretty damn small convention. But I did kind of expect that going in, I'll be happy if it grows, hearing [Janeshia Adams-Ginyard](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3821861/) talk about her work on _Black Panther_ was cool, and it was a good excuse for more cosplay.

Anyway. Loki's black suit from _Thor: Ragnarok_ was arguably an even more obvious choice than Avengers Academy Loki and it probably took longer to occur to me, for some reason. Once it did, though, this was a really easy one, all made completely from thrift-store finds (the shoes and tie are the same as Avengers Academy Loki, actually). I also found one other Loki there--yes, only the one, this was a _really small_ convention--so of course I had to get a picture.

   

The knife started out as a cheap pirate sword from a costume shop; I cut down the blade, then trimmed the sides on the top part to make a hilt and wrapped it in the darker ribbon stuff from the original hilt. It was by far the most difficult and time-consuming part of this easy costume. The really annoying thing: Loki pulls two identical knives on Strange, right? Right, well, I had two of these, I bought two pirate swords and painstakingly cut down both of them so I had two identical costume knives, and at the actual con I just stuck them in my purse because I didn't have a better place to put them, and one...fell out at some point? I hunted for it and asked like three different people about lost & found (the organization here was also...not the best) but the damn thing was nowhere to be found, so by the time I was able to get pictures, I only had one knife. (And then a few days later I went to a dollar store and discovered they had a much cheaper fake knife that would have worked even better for my purposes, so it's just kind of annoying all around.)


	4. 2018 Senshi Con: MCU Stuttgart Loki

As I've said before, I like cosplaying Loki for obvious reasons, but I also prefer to put together costumes made of actual clothes, because it's often more comfortable and it doesn't require me to learn how to make stuff from scratch. I also mentioned that there's not much to choose from for fan conventions in Alaska. [Senshi Con](http://senshicon.org/) is easily the biggest one at this point--it's still pretty small by, say, Emerald City Comic Con standards, but it's a legit con with a number of guests and even vendors who traveled from out of state to get there. It's also technically focused on anime/manga and video games, but because it's really the only game in town so far, there were plenty of cosplayers from other fandoms. (Also, there was...a lot of cool merch. I bought [too much](https://www.instagram.com/p/BoKjJ9VHsei/?taken-by=ladymoriel) BUT I found like...five different Loki things, including a really bomb-ass print, so that's the important thing here.)

For day 1, I went in Loki's Midgardian outfit from the first Avengers movie. I know I said it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize [Avengers Academy Loki](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13900200/chapters/34077738#workskin) and [black suit Ragnarok Loki](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13900200/chapters/34078214#workskin) would be easy, but honestly this one is even worse, because it's been around way longer than the other two, it's basically as easy as the black suit, and I've had that exact scarf for  _literal years_ because a friend bought it from Etsy and gave it to me as a Christmas gift ages ago. Like...that scarf has been hanging off the end of my bed for years, just being decorative, and it's also the most specific and therefore difficult part of the outfit for a Stuttgart Loki cosplay, and it completely didn't occur to me until...I don't know, four or five months ago? I AM NOT A CLEVER MAN. 

Anyway: I'm really proud of this one, because I think it ended up looking really good, and once again it was made almost entirely of thrift-store finds. The long coat and white shirt came from the same friend because she was cleaning out her closet, the vest was from Value Village, and the rest were things I originally bought from Value Village for my previous Loki cosplays. The pool cue that made up most of the staff was from Value Village too. The staff was definitely the hardest part and the top came out looking a little janky, but I'm proud of that too (more on the staff below).

    

There were quite a few other photo opportunities, of course (I saw another Thor and Loki but didn't get a chance for a picture with them, sigh). Ran into siblings and counterparts:

   

Made fun of other superheroes, as you do (at least you do that when you're Loki):

   

but possibly the most important one was this picture with Kiba the Cosplay Corgi, who was a _very_ good boy:

Like I said earlier, I’m definitely proud of the staff. The very top came out looking a little crooked because I put it on last, but considering I didn’t know what I was doing and basically made it up as I went along, I think it looks pretty good-–especially because the gem lights up, just like Loki’s onscreen staff did.

   

I started with a lightweight pool cue I got at Value Village for like three bucks and cut it down to a better length. The gem is a [lightsaber bubble wand](https://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Toy-Skywalker-Lightsaber-Solution/dp/B00W82GTXU/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1539813977&sr=8-16&keywords=star+wars+bubble+wand) I got at Fred Meyer for also around $3; I dumped out the bubble solution, cut off the wand part, and used superglue and electric tape to attach it to the broad end of the pool cue.

    

I used some of the bubble wand’s packaging to make the structure for the gem’s housing, making sure the button was still accessible, and then covered everything with more glue and pieces of craft foam.

   

After temporarily removing the blue part, I spray-painted the whole mess gold.

   

Obviously it’s not completely perfect or screen-accurate, and there are things I’d do differently if I decided to remake it (which I might at some point, because if I ever want to take it to an out-of-state convention, I’d want to use a two-piece pool cue like I did for my Avengers Academy Loki cane). All things considered, though, I think it’s pretty damn cool, especially because I planned and made it entirely by myself without getting help or using any tutorials. And I mean…it lights up without having cost me tons of money, that’s pretty great.


	5. 2018 Senshi Con: The Final Pam (Monster Factory)

So, I love the [Monster Factory](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaDrN74SfdT6duuVl_8qxJ5eaaPHRX_ij) video series. I love it a whole bunch. I'm not completely sure which one is my favorite or even if I have a favorite, but [The Final Pam](https://youtu.be/_1jGnFt78H8) is definitely high on the list. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please watch some of the videos; I promise you won't regret it.) I also figured cosplaying her would be pretty impractical if it was for an out-of-state con, so when I decided I was going to Senshi-Con and then realized it was late enough in the year that I'd be able to get Halloween stuff for it instead of being stuck with pricier year-round costume shops, I figured...yeah, why not.

It turned out to be more complicated than I expected, whoops. First there's the dress, which I got from Value Village for $10; it originally had lace on the bodice and big puffy sleeves, so I had to rip that off. I also glued bias tape to the bodice in an attempt to emphasize the nonexistent boning. The jacket was also from Value Village (so was the can), and I got a black feather boa from their Halloween section that I sewed to the collar. The wig, face paint, and axe also came from Value Village's new Halloween stuff, the sunglasses were from Hot Topic (I really thought I'd be able to thrift those, but apparently oversized round white plastic sunglasses are less common than you'd expect), and I already owned the boots. I put a string on the can so I could use it as a purse, and I already had a Codsworth Mystery Mini that I brought for obvious reasons. I was really hoping to take Roachie too but it turns out even at Halloween, giant cockroach props are just...nowhere to be found.

Anyway, it was all very hot and uncomfortable but it was also worth it because several people recognized me and were thrilled, which I honestly didn't expect because I figured it was a little too obscure.

   

I DO THIS (but don’t worry metal baby, Mommy is here to protect you from scary Wasteland)

HELLO METAL HUSBAND, meet fellow chaos deity Loki

Final Pam has room in heart for furry nine-tailed demon son also

And here's a closer look at the godawful makeup, which I managed by operating under the principle of "well it doesn't actually have to look _good_ ":

Finally, here's a closer look at the props I made. First there’s the axe that can kill God; I bought a cheap Halloween axe at Value Village, cut down the handle, wrapped the grip with electrical tape, glued part of a cheap scimitar blade to the axe so it looked a little closer to Pam’s, and then used a bunch of brown and silver spray paint.

The axe components in their original forms:

  

Before painting:

   

The final product:

  

Then there’s my coffee-can son, who is literally just…some paper glued on a cookie tin, with the lid spray-painted red and a couple holes punched in the sides so I could put a cord in it and carry it over my shoulder. I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find the right images because the Slocum's Joe logo wasn't too bad and I just recreated that, but I never could find a high-quality version of the other side and none of the similar images were quite right--so, I literally just printed out a picture of the side of the can from the Fallout wiki.

   

Bonus: the two most disturbing images on the cookie tin that I unfortunately had to cover up.

  

Why is one Santa leering evilly? Why does one kid look...I don't know, high or something? YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE.


	6. 2019: post-IW Loki

##  **I lived, bitch**

 

(how long did it take to do this stupid joke photoshoot? about an hour, a.k.a.  _way too fucking long_  for the quality and the fact that it’s a stupid joke photoshoot! how long have I been planning and failing to get around to doing this? uhhhh months? partly because I wanted to do a dumb cosplay of Loki after Infinity War [pretty much as soon as I got the neck brace](http://thelightofthingshopedfor.tumblr.com/post/175112917307/i-picked-this-up-from-my-physical-therapist-a) but couldn’t figure out what to wear with it, because I didn’t think any of my existing Loki cosplays would make sense or be immediately recognizable, and then I remembered the [Loki jacket](https://www.thinkgeek.com/product/jvno/?srp=1) and ridiculous [Loki slippers](https://www.thinkgeek.com/product/koin/?srp=2) I impulsively bought from ThinkGeek, and the obvious thing to wear under the jacket was the [Loki cosplay shirt](http://thelightofthingshopedfor.tumblr.com/post/179635014392/i-didnt-feel-like-going-to-the-effort-of-wearing) I already had. would this have been easier and probably better-looking if I’d enlisted somebody to take the picture of me instead of busting out my old digital camera, rigging up something that sorta worked as a tripod/stand, and using a self-timer that only gave me 10 seconds to scramble onto my bed and arrange myself, which I had to do multiple times in an attempt to get a decent shot while I got increasingly overheated? yes! but I feel weird asking people to help me with things and I definitely couldn’t ask my mom to be my human tripod given, you know, The Finger. also you totally can’t tell because my stupid sleeve slid down, but I was also wearing the arm brace from when I broke my wrist several years ago.)


End file.
